A conscious leadership model to achieve sustainable business practices

Business sustainability is a fundamental concern amongst business leaders and it is imperative that business defines an environmentally and socially sustainable path to financial prosperity. This focus on sustainable business practices has been caused by the perceived contribution of businesses to undesirable conditions such as environmental and social degradation including global warming and the global financial crises. This study suggests that a leadership style that differs from leadership that is currently causing business unsustainability is needed in order to achieve the goal of sustainable business practices. This study therefore proposes a new kind of leadership, called conscious leadership. The main contribution of the study is to increase the achievement of sustainable business practices by investigating the importance of conscious leadership in achieving this objective. Convenience sampling was used to select senior managers and directors from mainly JSE listed companies. This resulted in a total of 371 usable questionnaires (317 from listed companies and 54 from unlisted companies) being received. A quantitative approach was adopted to investigate whether conscious leadership would be related to increased sustainability competencies and more effective sustainability-related corporate governance and whether these in turn would increase sustainability behaviours which would generate sustainable business practices as measured by financial, social and environmental performance. Regression analyses were conducted to investigate the hypothesised relationships among these variables. Pearson correlations and descriptive statistics were also calculated. The empirical results showed that respondents in this study regarded conscious leadership, not as a separate construct, but as a way they governed their businesses. The empirical results showed that corporate governance and systems thinking competency had a strong interactive relationship and should therefore be cultivated within business firms. Corporate governance (including conscious leadership) and systems-thinking competency were positive influencers of employee relations, equal opportunities and workforce diversity. The empirical results however showed that corporate governance (including conscious leadership) had a negative influence on profitability. The present study cannot argue for the discouragement of corporate governance (including conscious leadership), as measured in this study, because reduced corporate governance would decrease healthy employee relations and the latter would decrease the achievement of equal opportunities and workforce diversity in these firms. A decrease in healthy employee relations would decrease profitability. The most important finding of this study is that senior managers and directors of big business firms, mostly JSE-listed companies, regarded conscious leadership as an important part of corporate governance. Corporate governance that includes conscious leadership must be developed to higher levels in business firms, so that the negative and not-significant relationships to profitability as viewed by lower and high conscious leaders respectively can be changed to positive relationships

Concept of Dhatu, Dhatu Poshana with reference to Sharira Bala

A Dhatu is that entity which supports the body and also provides nourishment to the body. Bala is the energetic source required for nourishment, development, defence mechanism of body and it is the very essential factor responsible for providing strength to the body as well as mind. Through this bala with a person tends to perform his/her work both physically (sharirik) and mentally (manasika). This bala also yield Vyadhikshamatva which implies prevention of the occurrence of new disease and retarding the progression of existing disease. Excellence of bala in terms of oja are characterized by good memory, devotion, gratefulness, wisdom, purity, excessive enthusiasm, skill, courage velour in fighting, absence of sorrow, proper gait, and depth of wisdom

Ionizing Radiation in Glioblastoma Initiating Cells

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults with a median survival of 12–15 months with treatment consisting of surgical resection followed by ionizing radiation (IR) and chemotherapy. Even aggressive treatment is often palliative due to near universal recurrence. Therapeutic resistance has been linked to a subpopulation of GBM cells with stem cell-like properties termed GBM initiating cells (GICs). Recent efforts have focused on elucidating resistance mechanisms activated in GICs in response to IR. Among these, GICs preferentially activate the DNA damage response (DDR) to result in a faster rate of double-strand break (DSB) repair induced by IR as compared to the bulk tumor cells. IR also activates NOTCH and the hepatic growth factor (HGF) receptor, c-MET, signaling cascades that play critical roles in promoting proliferation, invasion, and resistance to apoptosis. These pathways are preferentially activated in GICs and represent targets for pharmacologic intervention. While IR provides the benefit of improved survival, it paradoxically promotes selection of more malignant cellular phenotypes of GBM. As reviewed here, finding effective combinations of radiation and molecular inhibitors to target GICs and non-GICs is essential for the development of more effective therapies

Solution to Profit Based Unit Commitment Problem Using Bacterial Foraging Algorithm

No Abstrac

How did Australopithecus robustus hear? The effect of masticatory specialization on the auditory region in A. robustus

Honors (Bachelor's)AnthropologyUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/79486/1/ssukhdeo.pd

The worm’s eye view of community ecology

The study of parasites in the context of community level organization, either as parasites embedded within host communities, or as parasite communities themselves, is now quite prevalent in parasitology and ecology today. However, this was not always the case. In terms of publications, there was almost no consideration of parasite interactions at the community level for most of the first half of the last century. Papers in The Journal of Parasitology by Clark Read (1951) and John Holmes (1961) were the defining contributions to the beginning of the field, and the ideas elaborated by these two parasitologists still inspire current debates on parasite community structure today. There are several probable explanations for why investigation of parasite communities was not popular during the early part of the century. Most likely, it was related to funding sources, and the strong biomedical rubric that has guided parasitological studies for most of the last century. The intensity of focus on treatment and control of parasites of medical and veterinary importance often resulted in indifference to the natural and evolutionary histories of the parasites. Fortunately, this situation has changed, and there has been an exponential growth of ideas based on ecological and evolutionary theory, especially since the beginning of this century. We are now entering into areas of inquiry that the early investigators probably never dreamed of. For example, it was only in 1997 that “Food webs: A plea for parasites” by Marcogliese and Cone (1997)made eloquent arguments for why parasites should be included in studies of food webs and ecosystems. This paper was an explicit call to action for community-minded parasitologists, and it ignited a huge transformation in the way ecologists and evolutionary biologists began to look at parasites in nature. Studies on the roles of parasites in food webs, an area that was almost totally ignored by ecologists for eight decades, are now fairly common (Sukhdeo, 2012)

Juggling the intersection of multiple identities in the South African context : Indian lesbians’ experiences of their coming out process

Text in English with abstracts and keywords in English, Afrikaans and SesothoIndian lesbians in South Africa, are colonised through race and religion, overpowered by patriarchy and socio-economic circumstance, and forbidden by society to express their sexuality due to the stigma. Sexuality should be seen as fluid, and homosexuality should be understood as a non pathological variation of sexuality (Ventriglio, Kalra & Bhugra, 2018). This study focuses on ascertaining how Indian lesbians experience and navigate their coming out processes in the South African context. This includes investigating the dynamic challenges and choices that Indian lesbians and analysing strategies and resources that participants use to juggle or manage the intersection of multiple identities in the coming out process. We also examine the significance of disclosure processes and the perceived impact on their public, social, and private lives. The use of social constructionism is appropriate for the exploration of Indian lesbians’ coming out process as it describes a development of jointly created understandings. This is important as we examined the construction of identity in amalgamating lesbian, Indian and South African identities. A qualitative research strategy with an emphasis on narrative biographies was employed. Snowball sampling was the most effective method in obtaining five participants for this research study. Participants were chosen according to Race (Indian), Ethnicity/Nationality (South African) Sex (Female), Age (older than 18 years) and sexuality (lesbian). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and university ethical guidelines, online audio and video interviews were conducted and transcribed by the author. Thematic analysis was used to sift through the rich data. Theories have been applied to the themes that emerged to substantiate and clarify the information received. The Cass Model is a popular model that is encountered in many of the academic texts researched for this dissertation. Whilst it is a classic model, it tends to pathologise gay and lesbian identities. In order to provide a more holistic, integrated approach other theories were also discussed. Permitting oneself to exist and have personal preferences, freedoms, choices, and expressions, as opposed to adhering to social regulations that are instituted through norms and laws is difficult. And for a person from multiple marginalised groups, even more so. Thus, if you are born with oppositional social constraints or forces, life may become more difficult for the marginalised individual. Oppressive and inscriptive social narratives may have diminished one's uniqueness or individuality thereby lowering one’s self-esteem, increasing their stress levels, and leaving one with an unconfident and confused identity (Davies & Thate, 2017). The resistance to change in certain cultures reveals a closed system. This closed system allows little information exchange and results in a redundant thinking society that is stifling the growth of people within the system. While progress within communities is stagnant, individuals are trying their best to develop a strong sense of self with the little support they have.Indiese lesbiërs in Suid-Afrika word gekoloniseer deur ras en godsdiens, oorheers deur patriargie en sosio-ekonomiese omstandighede, en word deur die samelewing verbied om hul seksualiteit uit te druk weens die stigma. Seksualiteit moet as vloeibaar gesien word, en homoseksualiteit moet verstaan word as 'n nie-patologiese variasie van seksualiteit (Ventriglio, Kalra & Bhugra, 2018). Hierdie studie fokus daarop om vas te stel hoe Indiese lesbiërs hul uitkomprosesse in die Suid Afrikaanse konteks ervaar en bestuur. Dit sluit in die ondersoek na die dinamiese uitdagings en keuses wat Indiese lesbiërs het, en die ontleding van strategieë en hulpbronne wat deelnemers gebruik om sin te maak van en die verweefdheid van verskeie identiteite te bestuur tydens die uitkomproses. Ons ondersoek ook die belangrikheid van openbaarmakingsprosesse en die ermeende impak op hul openbare, sosiale en private lewens. Die gebruik van sosiale konstruksionisme is gepas vir die verkenning van Indiese lesbiërs se uitkomproses, aangesien dit 'n ontwikkeling van gesamentlik geskepte begrip beskryf. Dit is belangrik omdat ons die konstruksie van identiteit in die samesmelting van lesbiese, Indiese en Suid-Afrikaanse identiteite ondersoek het. ’n Kwalitatiewe navorsingstrategie is toegepas met narratiewe biografieë. Sneeubalsteekproefneming was die mees effektiewe metode om vyf deelnemers vir hierdie navorsingstudie te bekom. Deelnemers is gekies volgens ras (Indiër), etnisiteit / nasionaliteit (Suid Afrikaanse) geslag (vroulik), ouderdom (ouer as 18 jaar) en seksualiteit (lesbies). As gevolg van die COVID-19-pandemie en universiteitsetiese riglyne is aanlyn-klank- en video onderhoude gevoer en getranskribeer deur die outeur. Tematiese analise is gebruik om die omvangryke data te ondersoek. Teorieë is toegepas op die temas wat na vore gekom het om die inligting wat ontvang is te staaf en te verduidelik. Die Cass-Model is 'n gewilde model wat aangetref word in baie van die akademiese tekste wat vir hierdie proefskrif nagevors is. Alhoewel dit 'n klassieke model is, is dit geneig om gay en lesbiese identiteite te patologiseer. Ten einde 'n meer holistiese, geïntegreerde benadering te bied, is ander teorieë ook bespreek. Om jouself te laat bestaan en persoonlike voorkeure, vryhede, keuses en uitdrukkings te hê, in teenstelling met die nakoming van sosiale regulasies wat deur norme en wette ingestel word, is moeilik, veral vir 'n persoon afkomstig uit veelvuldige gemarginaliseerde groepe. As jy dus gebore word onderhewig aan sosiale opposisie-beperkings of teenwigte, kan die lewe vir die gemarginaliseerde individu nog moeiliker word. Onderdrukkende en inskriptiewe sosiale vertellings kan die uniekheid of individualiteit van jou menswees verminder, waardeur jou selfbeeld verlaag, stresvlakke verhoog en jy met 'n selfvertwyfelende en verwarde identiteit gelaat word (Davies & Thate, 2017). Die weerstand teen verandering in sekere kulture openbaar 'n geslote stelsel. Hierdie geslote stelsel beperk die uitruil van inligting en dra by tot 'n samelewing met ingeperkte denke wat die groei van mense binne die stelsel strem. Terwyl vooruitgang binne diesulke gemeenskappe stilstaan, probeer individue hul bes om 'n ingeligte gevoel van self te ontwikkel met die min ondersteuning wat hulle het.Basadi ba go ratana le basadi ba bangwe, ba Makula-Afrika-Borwa ba thupile ke se morafe, sedumedi seo se sentšwego ke bopatrareka le boemo ba ekonomi le gore ba thibela ke sechaba gore ba kgone go ntsha maikutlo a bona ma mabapi le gore ba ratana le mang. Gore motho o ratana le mang, monna goba mosadi ga ra swanele go ba lebelela ka leihlo le lengwe, goba la lehloyo (Ventriglio, Kalra & Bhugra, 2018). Palo ye e lebelela gore basadi ba go ratana le basadi ba bangwe, ba Makhula ba hlakana le mathata a fe mo Afrika-Borwa. Palo ye e lebelela le gore basadi ba go ratana le basadi ba bangwe, ba makhula ha ba botsa batho goba malapa le bagwera ba bona le seemo sa bona le gore tla be ba kwa ka tsela ye fe. Go ya ka setlwaedi sechabeng mo mapi le taba ye bohlokwa ke gore basadi ba go ratana le basadi ba bangwe ba makula ba hlalose goba ba botše batho ba bangwe ka seemo sa bana gore go be le kwešišano magareng ga batho ba Afrika-Borwa. Go be go na le dinyakišišo gomme dinyakišišo tše di bontsha gore “snowball sampling” e be e le tsela ye kaone ya go kgetha batho ba go lekana le batho ba ba hlano go dira di nyakišišo tše. Batho ba ba kgethilego go ya ka se morafe wa makula, gore ba tšwa Afrika- Borwa, gore ka basadi , gore ba feta mengwaga ye 18 le gore ke basadi ba go ratana le basadi ba bangwe. Ka lebaka la bolwetše ba Covid-19 le ditaelo tša di unibesithi tša go fapana, go be go šomišwa theknolotši goba di kopano tsa “Zoom” go dira dinyakišišo tše. Go be go šomišwa mekgwa ya go fapana ya go nyakišiša go lebelela taba ye. Ye nngwe ya dinyakišišo ba re ke” Cass Model” yeo e tlwaelegilego, e le ge e le seemo sa banna ba go ratana le banna ba bangwe le basadi ba go ratana le basadi ba bangwe. Batho ba swanetše go dumelelwa go phela ka mokgwa wa maleba, ka ntle le go theeletša seo batho ba bangwe ba se bolelago. Ka go realo, motho o kgona go ba le go itshepa le go tlogela go inyatša (Davies & Thate, 2017). Setšo ga se fetoge se gana batho ba tswela pele ka go dira setšo go ya ka tlwaelo ya bona. Ge tšwelo pele e se gona mo sechabeng batho bah o leka go itšoša bjang gore ba kgone go phela.PsychologyM.A. (Clinical Psychology

Critical review of Anatomy of Knee joint and its Clinical aspects in Osteoarthritis

The knee joint is the largest and complex joint of the body. In Sandhigata Vata the vitiated Vata consequences in Asthi Ksaya. Osteoarthritis is a slowly progressive degenerative disorder resembles with Sandhigata Vata or vatic disorder. This joint is formed between three bones: the femur, tibia, and patella. It allows the lower leg to move relative to the thigh while supporting the body’s weight. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a type of joint disease that results from cessation of joint cartilage and underlying bone. This kind of problem starts with some discomfort, a cracking sound, and if not taken care of, results in eventual immobilization of the joints. Because the bone is not getting the nourishment it needs, it starts to degenerate. When this happens, the joints are not lubricated properly and this creates the discomfort, cracking sound, and diminished flexibility like knee joint Osteoarthritis